Ladies' Column

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2084, 24 June 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

Ladies' Column

The Baby s Appetite—a lady has written an article forttie papers entitled, “ When Children Should be Watched.” She fails, however, to state that it is a good time to watch them when the pantry door is open and the preserves are within reach. Another time when watching saves doctor’s Mils and funeral expenses is, when a cherub first commences to crawl about the floor, and manifests a desire to put everything in ite mouth it can place its bands on. At this age a baby is a good deal like a goat, and will eat old paper, rags, socks, gloves, kindling-wood and lumps of coal, with apparent relish. The fact of the matter is, a baby during what might be termed the “ tasting period,” would, it it possessed a mouth and abdomen of sufficient capacity, swallow a piano, a bath-tub, or any other article of household furniture that is moveable.

A person who is acquainted with the habits of a baby, is aware of the fact that the mother’s greatest care is when the child is between ten and sixteen months of age. The moment she places the little fat darling on the floor to amuse itself, it gets into trouble. It will find something which, in ite blissful stupidity, it imagines is edible, before it bae been on the floor two minutes; and suddenly the fond mother hears a gasping, choking sound, and snatching np her child already black in the face from suffocation, she bolds it by the heels and pounds its tiny back lustily, until a wad of cloth, a cork, or a spool of thread, rolls out of ite throat and rives the right of way to a volley of howls. Very often a tender infant succeeds in swallowing the things it gets into its mouth, and then suffers from a sick stomach and disgorges some rare articles of bric-a-brac in the shape of china buttons, hair-pins and toothbrushes.

The writer is intimately acquainted with a baby that has made six attempts to eat its own shoe, which each time was rescued from the infantile throat by hooking onto it with a glove-buttoner; but the most remarkable feat in the eating line that a baby has yet accomplished occurred recently in a country town. A one-year-old ebild in some way got its father’s watch and swallowed it, and the result was one of the house servants was suspected of robbery and arrested. Tbs whereabouts of the watch was not known until the mother of the child happened to bear the timepiece ticking in its stomach. This is the story as it comes to us, and we hare no information to furnish concerning the subsequent condition of either the watch or the child. All that we know is, that parents cannot be too vigilant during the time when a child is afflicted with a wholesale appetite.

A Word About Wrinkles-—All ladies who dread the destroying finger of time will rejoice to read that tell-tale wrinkles may be prevented. They ore due to the gradual wearing away of flesh underneath the cuticle. Why does it wear away 1 Because the facial muscles have either too little or the wrong kind of exercise. It will be observed that wrinkles usually take a downward coarse. This is due to the wrong kind of exercise. What exercise? Why, the washing and wiping of the face, to be sure. Reverse the process, and, instead of rubbing the face down in washing and wiping, always rub upward. This will have the effect of counteracting the tendency of the flesh to depart from under the cuticle, and will keep the face free from wrinkles. It is rather an awkward habit to acquire at first, but perseverance will make it second nature, and the result is worth many pains. This exercise is designed particularly for the benefit of the eyes and upper portion of the cheeks. But for the middle and lower portion of the face, where hollowness rather than wrinkles is often noted, another plan must be taken. The facial muscles are subjected to very slight activity in the ordinary exertions of eating and talking. To fill the cheeks out plump and round, it is necessary to develop the muscles there, These muscles are very slight at the best, and any special effort well directed will increase them in capacity and size, An excellent exercise for this purpose is the following : Take a piece of soft leather chamois skin, or kid will do—and put the end of it between the teeth; then chew gently upon it for several minutes, taking care not to raise the teeth from the leather. If the teeth are raised it will bring into play only the ordinary muscles of mastication, whereas the purpose is to develop those that arc seldom used. One who tries this method will find the cheek going through a queer action that is anything but graceful and pretty; nevertheless, it is immensely effective and will restore to its yonthful plumpness even the most hollow cheek. Try it faithfully, and you will be convinced. For Engagement Rings.— The ancients attributed marvelous properties to many of the precious stones beside the opals. A particular stone was regarded os sacred to each month of the year, a meaning or language was given to each, and it was supposed that good luck and prosperity would be insured to those who wore constantly the stone belonging to the month in which they were born. It is still customary among lovers and friends to note the significance attached to the various stones in making birthday, engagement, and wedding presents. The stones are sacred to the different months and the language of each are as follows :

January, garnet; constancy and fidelity in every engagement.

February, amethyst; a preventive against violent passions, March, bloodstone; courage, wisdom and firmness in affliction.

April, diamond; denotes faith, innocence, and virginity. May, emerald; discovers false friends and insures true love.

June, agate ; insures long life, health, and prosperity, July, ruby; discovers poisons and corrects evils resulting from mistaken friendship. August, sardonyx; insures conjugal felicity.

September, sapphire ; frees from enchantment and denotes repentance. October, opal; denotes hope, and sharpens the sight and faith of the possessor. November, topaz ; fidelity and friendship, and prevents bad dreams. December, turquoise; gived success; especially in love. Woman’s Dress a Hundred Tears Ago-—Devoted as she was to the world of fashion, Miss Frampton did not admire all its ways. Under the date of }7BO she wrote

“My sister, Phlllia Wallaston, now between sixteen and seventeen, was beginning to be introduced a little in the world. At that time everybody wore powder and pomatum; a large triangular thing called a cushion, to which the hair was frizied up with three or four enormous curls on each side; the higher the pyramid of hair, gauze, feathers, and other ornaments was carried, the more fashionable it was thought, and such was the labor to rear the fabric that nightcaps were made in proportion to it and covered over the hair. Immensely long black pins were worn. I think I remember hearing that twenty-four pins were by no means an unusual number to go to bed with on one’s head. The perfection of flgnre according to the then fashion, was the smallness of circumference into which your unfortunate waist could be compressed, and many a poor girl hurt her health verv materially by trying to rival the reining beauty of the day, the Duchess of Rutland, who was said to squeeze herself to the size of an orange and a half. Small hoops were worn in the morning, and larger ones for evening dress, some going outward as they went downward, something in the form of a bell. Hacqnes were very common ;my mother constantly wore them. They wore dresses with loose backs and a stomacher. Gauze handkerchiefs trimmed with blonde lace were worn in the neck,”